Manometer calibrating means



May 25, 1937. w, MELAS 2,081,596

MANOMETER CALI BRAT ING MEANS Original Filed April 2, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w. MELAS 2,081,596

MANOMETER CALIBRATING MEANS Original Filed April 2, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 25, 1937.

Patented May 25 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs 2,0$l,59s MAN OMETER, CALIBRATING MIEAN S William Melas, Bala-Cynwyd, Pa., assignor to Cochrane Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania 9 Claims.

My invention relates to fluid measuring apparatus, more particularly to manometers across the respective legs of which differing relative pressures are produced in accord with the rate of flow of the fluid under measurement, and has for an object the provision of an accurate, in expensive and reliable means for checking the calibration of the manometer.

Further in accord with my invention a liquid displacer is normally maintained below the level of the liquid contained in one of the manometer legs or chambers, a float in the other of the legs or chambers indicating changes in liquid level therein in accord with the differential pressures produced by and representative of the flow of fluid under measurement. To check the calibration, valves are closed to isolate the manometer from the fluid whose rate of flow is to be measured, the pressures upon the respective legs or chambers are equalized, and the displacer is moved to a position above the level of the manometer liquid. The resultant change in position of the float is then measured, and, if the change is 'not in accord with a factory-deter- 7 mined value, the extent of the error in calibration will be indicated and the error maythen be corrected.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 718,641 filed April 2, 1934, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 579,944,.filed December 9, 1931, now Letters Patent No. 2,010,554, granted August 6, 1935.

For a more complete understanding of my invention and for illustration of apparatus and systems embodying it, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic front elevational view of a mechanical relay and recorder;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the relay of I Fig. l and a circuit diagram of a network em- .ployed therewith;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view with parts in section of a flow-meter for use in the system of Fig. 2 having a calibrating displacer element;

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a modified form of displacer element;

Fig. 5 illustrates another type of flowmeter provided with a calibrating displacer element.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, a

measuring bridge of the inductance type com prises inductance coils l, 2, 3 and 8, preferably wound on non-magnetic spools (not shown). One end of each coil is connected, as shown, to the movable coil 5 of an alternating current galvanometer G or other sensitive current detecting instrument. Coils 6 and 6' comprise the field of the galvanometer, and are connected in circuit with inductance coils l, 2 and 3, 4 and a source 1 of alternating current. Coils I and 2 have a movable core or plunger 8 of magnetizable material, the position of the core within the coils determining their relative inductance, and therefore their relative impedance. The coils 3, 4 have a similar core or plunger 9 of magnetizable material, theposition of which determines the relative impedance of the coils. The position of plunger 8, relative to the coils land 2 is caused to vary in accordance with the magnitude, or variation in magnitude, from a predetermined value, of the quantity or condition to bemeasured, by a rod l2, preferably of non-magnetizable material, secured to a member movable from its normal position in response to said quantity or magnitude, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5.

The inductance coils l, 2, 3, 4 and the galvanometer G comprise a Wheatstone bridge circuit, supplied with alternating current from the source 1, the relative positions of the cores 8 and 9 determining a balanced or unbalanced condition of the bridge, as the case may be. The relative impedances of the coils I and 2 are dependent upon the position of core 8, and if the core 9 is in the same relative position in coils 3 and 5, the bridge is balanced and no current will flow through the galvanometer coil 5, and therefore its pointer or needle l3, attached to and carried by the movablecoil 5, will remain in the mid-position, Fig. 1, to which it is normally biased by means of control springs or filaments (not shown) attached to the galvanometer.

When core 8 is moved within coils I and 2, their relative inductance is changed and the bridge is electrically unbalanced, so that current will flow through the galvanometer coil 5 and cause it and pointer l3 to deflect to one side or the other of its mid-position, dependent upon \the direction of movement or displacement of the core 8, and by an amount proportional to the amount of displacement of the core. The pointer l3 controls mechanical relay mechanism to move the core 9 in a direction and by an amount which will restore the balance 'of the bridge in the following manner:

Assume, for example, that core 8 has been displaced upwardly, and has thereby caused th pointer l3 to deflect to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1. A-source of power comprising a motor M, which is continuously driven at constant speed,

of the bell crank lever with pin 29 secured toeither by direct or alternating current, as source I, rotates the shaft 14 carrying worm gear l5. The worm gear rotates gear l6 which meshes with a similar gear H, the gear l6 rotating in a counter-clockwise .direction, and gear I! rotating in a; clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1. A U-shaped depressor bar I8 is pivoted at I9, and is alternately raised and depressed, at intervals of a second or two, by means of pivot pin 20, eccentric lever 2|, and eccentric 22 attached to the gear II. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the bar I8 is at that portion of its stroke which permits free swing or lateral movement of the galvanometer pointer l3, and the pointer is therefore free to deflect, as to the left, between the lower surface of bar [8 and the upper surface of left-hand bell crank lever 24. Immediately following the interval in which the galvanometer is allowed to deflect, the bar i8 is depressed, and

the pointer 13 is clamped between the'bar and.

the lever 24 at a point which represents the extent of its deflection. The bell crank lever 24 is. pivoted at 25, and is adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction about its pivotal point until the bar I8 reaches the bottom of its stroke. In so doing, it will rotate the yoke assembly comprising plates 26 and 21 in a counter-clockwise direction about a shaft 28 by reason of the contact and extending from plate 26. It will be seen that, for small deflections, the pointer will engage the bell crank lever at a point far from the pivotal point 25, and for large deflections the lever is engaged at a point near the pivotal point. Therefore, the greater the galvanometer deflection, the greater the deflection of the bell crank lever and yoke assembly. A'second bell crank lever 24' is adapted to be actuated in a counterclockwise direction, when the pointer I3 is deflected to the right, for actuating the relay structure in a corresponding direction. A tension spring 30 serves to keep thebell crank levers in contact with pins 29 and 29', respectively.

The yoke assembly carries at its upper end, by means of pivots 3! and 3|, the pawls 32 and 32', respectively, each pawl being eccentrically mounted with respect to a clutch wheel 34 for the purpose hereinafter disclosed. Pins 33 and 33' secured to and extending from the pawls serve to keep one or the other of the pawls out of engagement with the clutch wheel 34, to prevent rotation of the wheel in the wrong direction, by engagement of the pins with the outer edges of fixed members or cams 35 and 35' (shown broken away), the edges comprising arcs having their centers coincident with the axis of rotation 28 of the yoke assembly. Since the yoke assembly has now been moved in acounter-clockwise diclockwise to an-extentsumcient to. permit .itstravel over the surface of the wheel.

\ After rotationto anextent dependent upon the amount of deflection of the pointer l3, the

yoke assembly is brought back to its normal or mid-position by a stud or pin '36 carried by and extending from the rotating gear IS, the pin engaging an edge of the plate 2'l, shown. in dotted lines in Fig. 1, which forms the back plate of the yoke assembly. In thus returning to the midposition, the pawl 32' is rotated in a clockwise direction by its contact with the clutch wheel 34, and due to the eccentric mounting of the pawl, its rounded surface will roll into wedglng engagement with the clutch wheel, and therefore the pawl'carries with it the clutch wheel which, through shaft 28, rotates gear 31 which engages a sector 38 pivotally mounted at 46. If desired, the clutch wheel may have serrations or teeth, and each pawl adapted to ratchet overthe serrations when it is carried in one direction by the yoke assembly, and to engage the serrations during return of the assembly to normal position.

The sector 38 carries an arm 39, and a marker or stylus pen 48 which bears upon a record or chart 4| rotated by clockwork mechanism 42, a synchronous motor or equivalent, thus giving a graphic record of the variations in movement of the core member 8.

The sector 38 also carries cam member 43 copivotally mounted therewith, having a camming surface 43' which engages one 'end of lever 44 pivotally mounted at 45, the other end of the lever causing a displacement of core 9 in coils 3 and 4 in accordance with movement of the cam member. When the core 9 has been displaced by an amount equal to the displacement of the core 8, the bridge will be re-balanced and galvanometer pointer I3 will return to its mid-position, at which time depression of the bar I will cause no movement of the bell crank members or clutch mechanism. The camming surface 43 may be shaped so that the relation of the recording pen 48 with respect to movement of the core 8 Will follow any desired law.

The foregoing arrangement provides a recorder having'high sensitivity and extreme accuracy, because the slightest condition of unbalance of the bridge circuit is detected by a sensitive instrument, as the galvanometer shown. Since no moving contacts are required in the measuring circuit, the recorder is free from error due to variable contact resistance. The position and movement of the recorder and the core 9 is obtained by relay mechanism powered independently of the measuring circuit, and the system is therefore free from errors caused by friction of parts in the recorder. In the systems illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, each of the core members 8 and 9 is in a balanced magnetic field except when a condition of unbalance obtains in the bridge circuit, and this increases the sensitivity and accuracy of the system because no magnetic attraction on either core is required to be overcome before effecting movement of the core in response to a change in said quantity or condition.

In the foregoing, the cores 8 and 9 are referred to as the movable elements, but it will be understood that, in various arrangements, either of them may be stationary, and the inductance coils movable, since it is the relative movement be tween them that varies the inductance and, hence, 1

the relativeimpedances of the arms of the bridge circuit.

In Fig. 3 is shown the details of construction of a commercial form of manometer constructed in accordance with my invention and includingand subsequent figures. The venturi 5m in pipe 50 produces a difierence between the pressures on the mercury in the respective legs of the manometer. Thus the high pressure leg comprises tube 53a which communicates with the upper part of chamber 69 and is secured to tube 52a, itself in the block 90a coo rate with tube 52 to complete the connectio /to the high pressure side of the venturi 5Id/ Similarly the low pressure leg extends from the low pressure side of the manomete fflby tube 56, passages I05, I04 and I03 of block'90a and by tube 55 to the upper portion e f/chamber 94. The movement of float 54a in response to variation of the mercury level in chamber 69 is imparted to the core 9 by the shaft I2, as in Fig. 2. The extensions I211, I2b cooperate with the guide bracket 80 and the aperture ill to prevent the core from tilting against the tube 53a which may, as shown, have a liner B of Bakelite, or like material, resistant to chemical action of. the fluid above the mercury. The

tube 53a may be of copper or other metal or alloy of low specific resistance, for example not greater than micro-ohms per centimeter cubic. It is not necessary that the walls of the tube be thin and/or that the clearance between the core 8 and the inside of tube 530 be smalL Within reasonable limits, the thickness of the tube may be selected to afford the desired mechanical strength for the particular range of pressures the tube is expected to withstand in use; for high pressure work, for example, involving steam or working pressures of they order of 1,000 lbs. per

squareinch, the tube 53a will necessarily be of substantial thickness but without appreciable loss of sensitivity .or accuracy in the electrical system and suificient to withstand high pressure. The

lack of need to have -.only slight clearance between the core and the inside of the tube simplifies the manufacture and reduces the cost of the instrument while retaining high accuracy and sensitivity. The chamber 69 may be provided with a lining 82 of Bakelite or other similar material chemically inert to the mercury.

The cap 83 forming the top of, and secured to housing 69a, as by nuts 84, threadedly receives the member 95 which clamps and seals the. lower end of tube 53a and provides a support for the coils I, 2, encircling the tube. The spring 96, which bears against the upper end of the coil V assembly is received by a recess in the lower face of the member 01 which cooperates with plug 88' to clamp the upper end of tube 53a. Member 8'! forms a continuation of the pipe 52a whose upper end is suitably held by the coupling member 99 tothe block 90a provided with passages 90,-9I;

sages 90, 9I, and .92 Y

members 96, 91. The displacer element 98 is held in chamber 94, in the position shown, the rod 99 extending upwardly therefrom through tube 55 and block 90a, being received by the blind hole I00 in the sealing plug MI.

The upper end of tube 55 is suitably held to block 900 as by the coupling I02 in communication with the passages I09. I04, I05, the latter opening into tube 56 which extends to the throat of the venturi 5Ia.

In normal use, the valves I06 and I01 in the pipes 56, 52 are open, and the valve I08 controlling the=by-pass passage I09 is closed. This passage I09 provided by the block 90a extends between, and communicates with, the passages 9| and. I04. When it is desired to check the calibration, valves I06 and I01 are closed and valve I09 opened. This equalizes the pressures in the legs of the manometer tubes, and the mercury level is the same in both, as illustrated by dot-dash line :1:. The plug IN is then unscrewed and the displacer 98'lifted above the mercury, as indicated by the dotted line position. The-mercury level thereupon falls to a position indicated by line y and the position of core 8 thereupon corresponds to that obtaining when the rate of flow produces the same difference in level; that is, the displacer is, calibrated to correspond to any desired value on the scale. If the difference between the readings from chart 4I does not correspond to a factory-determined value, an error will be indicated; such an error may be due to accumulation of dirt on the walls of chamber 69 which of course varies the volume of that chamber. To eliminate the error it is only necessary to clean the chamber.

To check the calibration at two points on the scale, the modified construction in Fig. '4 may be used. When the displacer 98b is lifted above the mercury, displacer 98a remaining therein, the pointer 39 should indicate one predetermined value, and when rod 99 is lifted higher, also to remove the displacer 980, the pointer 39 should indicate a predetermined higher reading. The calibration may be checked at as many points as desired by providing a corresponding number of displacers; usually one or two points is suflicient.

To restore the instrument to use, rod 99 is depressed and plug IOI replaced. Then valves I06 and I0'I are opened and valve I08 reclosed.

The rounded elements H0 and III at the bottom of the float and of the displacer serve as mercury check valves in the event that the instrument is-reversely connected to pipe 50, or is subjected to pressures beyond its range.

Though this calibration feature of my invention is of particular value in the system of Figs. 1, 2. and 3, it can beutilized to advantage in other manometer arrangements; for example, as shown in Fig. 5, the float 54b may be mechanically con- 60 nected to the indicator or marker 99a. With the 5' pressures equalized on the manometer fluid columns in legs 55 and 69, a certain reading ct pointer 39a and scale 4 la is obtained with the displacer 98 out of the manometer fluid if the call- 65 bration is correct.

WhatIclaimis: 1. Apparatus of the character described comprising interconnected chambers, structure responsive to change in level of liquid in one of 70 said chambers, 'a pair of windings, a magnetic member mechanically connected to said structure to vary the impedances of said windings in accordarice with changes of level of said liquid,

characterized by the provision o! calibration 75 checking means comprising a displacer normally immersed below the level of said liquid and movable bodily above the level of :said liquid to effect at least one predetermined change in level of said liquid and to effect corresponding changes in the impedances of said windings.

2. Apparatus of the character described comprising interconnected chambers subject respectively to pressures of different magnitude, structure responsive to change in level of liquid in one of said chambers, and calibration checking means comprising means to equalize the pressures in said chambers and a displacer to efiect at least one predetermined change in level of said liquid.

3. The combination with apparatus of the character described comprising interconnected chambers subject respectively to pressures of different magnitude, structure responsive to change in level of liquid in one of said chambers, a pair of windings, a magnetic member mechanically connected to said structure to vary the impedances of said windingsin accordance with changes of level of said liquid, of calibration checking means comprising means to equalize the pressure in said chambers and a displacer to effect at least one predetermined change in level of said liquid thereby to vary by predetermined amounts the impedances of said windings.

4. Apparatus of the character described com- -5. Calibration checking means fora manometer having interconnected chambers and a member movable in one chamber in accordance with changes in the level of the manometer liquid comprising a displacer movable in the other chamber to positions above and below the liquid level to change by a predetermined amount the level of the manometer liquid in both of said chambers, an operating member having one end connected to said dlsplacerand its opposite free end extending upwardly abovethe liquid level, a sealing plug normally cooperating with said free end to retain said displacerbelow said liquid level, means for equalizing the pressures in said cham bers during calibration checking, and means for indicating the extent of movement of said first named member upon said change in the liquid level.

6.'The combination with a manometer having high pressure and low pressure legs and including chambers-interconnected below the level of manometer liquid; meansfor producing a differ ential: pressure between said chambers to vary the liquid level in said chambers, structure movable in one of said chambers in response to changes in liquid level, an inductance coil, and means operable by said structure to vary the inductance of said coil in accordance with said changes in liquid level, of calibrationche'cking means comprising a passageway interconnecting said manometer legs above the liquid level, valve means in said passageway movable to open said passageway and permit equalization of pressures in said legs and chambers, a displacer in the other of said chambers normally extending below the liquid level and including a rod substantially coextensive with the associated manometer leg, and a removable sealing plug cooperating with said rod to retain said displacer in a position extending below said liquid level, said plug when removed permitting movement of said rod and displacer above said liquid level to reduce by a predetermined amount the level of said liquid.

7. The combination with a manometer having liquid chambers interconnected by a passageway, means for producing a differential of pressure between said chambers to vary the liquid level therein, of calibration checking means comprising a displacer normally extending below the level of liquid and adapted by movement above the level of liquid to effect a predetermined change in level of the liquid, one end of said displacer cooperating to close said passageway upon a predetermined decrease in the level of the liquid in its associated chamber.

8. The combination with a manometer having high pressure and low pressure legs and including liquid chambers, a passageway interconnecting the chambers below the normal level of liquid, means for producing a differential pressure hetween said chambers to vary the liquid level therein, structure movable in one of said chambers in response to changes in liquid level, of calibration checking meanscomprising a passageway interconnecting said manometer legs intermediate the ends thereof, valve means in said passageway movable to open position to permit equalization of pressures in said legs and chambers, a displacer in the other of said chambers normally extending below the liquid level, one end of said displacer cooperating to close said liquid passageway upon a predetermined decrease in the level of the liquid, said displacer including a rod coextensive with the associated manometer leg, and removable means cooperating with said rod to retain said displacer below said liquid level, said means when removed permitting movement of said rod and displacer above said liquid level to reduce by a predetermined amount said liquid level.

9. The-combinationwith a manometer having chambers interconnected by a liquid passageway, means for producing a diiferential of pressure between said chambers to vary the liquid leveltherein, a float within one of said chambers movable in accord with change of liquid level therein, of calibration checking means comprising a displacer normally maintained above the bottom of .the other of said chambers and below the liquid level therein, means for moving said displacer above the liquid level to change by predetermined amounts the liquid levels in said chambers, and valve means associated with said pass ageway adapted to be closed by one end of said displacer upon a predetermined decrease in ,the level of-the liquid in its associated chamber,

WIILIAM MELAS. 

